Changing the World, One Cup at a Time

by Nina Luttinger and Jeremy Simer, TransFair USA

Gourmet coffee is booming, but you wouldn’t know itif you asked a coffee farmer. With world coffee prices at their lowestin years, many growers are losing their lands, such as the Mexicancoffee farmers who made recent headlines when they died crossing theArizona desert, forced to migrate by their economic desperation.

As coffee companies continue to make huge profits and US consumers payaround ten dollars per pound for gourmet coffee, family farmersreceive as little as 25-30 cents per pound for the same pound ofbeans. Farmers’ incomes are so low, they’re below the costs ofproduction, trapping them in poverty and debt, leaving them unable tomeet even their most basic needs.

Fortunately, there’s an alternative that allows you to enjoy yourcoffee, and create a little bit of justice in the global economy. FairTrade Certified coffee guarantees a fair price for family farmers—aminimum of $1.26 per pound. By starting their own export cooperativesand selling their coffee directly to importers here in the US, FairTrade farmers also keep a larger portion of overall coffee profits.Through direct trade, fair prices, and access to affordable credit,Fair Trade helps farming families improve their nutrition andhealthcare, keep their kids in school, and re-invest in their farms.

Fair Trade also encourages farmers to use sustainable farmingmethods—such as organic and shade-grown cultivation—which are good forcommunities, watersheds and wildlife habitat. At its core, Fair Tradeis a business-based approach to alleviate Third World poverty,building economic strength at the grassroots.

TransFair USA is the independent non-profit organization thatcertifies Fair Trade products in the US. When you see the Fair TradeCertified label on a package of coffee or tea, you know that everystep—from the crop to your cup—has been monitored and certified by aneutral third party, ensuring that growers really received a fairprice for their harvest. Nationally, about 100 coffee roasters nowoffer Fair Trade Certified coffee—plus Seattle-based Choice OrganicTeas now offers Fair Trade Certified tea—and the list is growinglonger every day.

Since April, TransFair has been working side-by-side with the SongbirdFoundation and the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign on the SeattleSustainable Coffee Campaign—a series of educational activities toincrease consumer awareness about Fair Trade Certified, shade-grown,and organic coffees. This July 10-15, two Nicaraguan Fair Trade coffeefarmers, Denia Alexa Marín and Francisco Escobar Corea, will be in theSeattle area for a series of events to share their stories about theirorganic, shade-grown coffee cooperatives, and the way that Fair Tradehas positively impacted their communities.

To find out about their speaking engagements, see Jean Buskin’sPeace & Justice calendar at www.scn.org. For more informationabout Fair Trade or the week’s events, contact TransFair USA at (206)770-0990, jeremy@transfairusa.org,www.transfairusa.org.